“Did you just say that?”
“Yes, I did.”
That cat, despite being a cat, is speaking with a haughty expression as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
A short fairy tale I read at the orphanage comes to mind.
It was clearly about a protagonist who hunted rabbits to feed his family and accidentally fell into a strange country while following a rabbit.
And in that fairy tale, there was undoubtedly a talking cat.
Even if it was just a head.
“What do you mean by saying you’ll help me?”
The cat yawns lazily in my arms and mutters.
“Hmm… Since you’re the human who healed me, consider this my way of repaying you.”
“But I didn’t do it expecting repayment.”
“Exactly, which is why I offered to help. Because it was such a pure act of kindness, you see.”
Can it really know things like that? Is the cat in my dreams all-knowing?
“How do you plan to help?”
At this, the cat made a thoughtful expression again, or at least narrowed its brows and rested its chin on its paw, appearing deep in thought.
Finally, the cat slapped its tiny paws together and declared.
“Alright! As a special favor, I’ll grant you a wish.”
“A wish?”
“Anything, within my capabilities.”
My hopes were dashed.
Naturally.
For a moment, I thought this cat might be a messenger of the gods.
After all, gods often use creatures like these.
But the phrase “within my capabilities” was telling.
Gods wouldn’t say that; they would insist on their absolute authority.
So, it seems this cat is just a little more special than the average feline.
‘Sigh, well. What am I expecting? Riches and glory?’
I stared deeply at the cat in my arms, gazing up at me.
A cat that didn’t act like a normal cat – overly confident, even arrogant.
But it was still a small, cute cat on the outside.
Thinking about the days ahead, I sighed.
My expulsion from the Academy is only a matter of time…
‘At least I won’t be lonely, having a companion by my side.’
I made up my mind.
“I wish to make a wish.”
“Hmm!”
The cat straightened up, ready to listen.
“What I wish for is…”
Looking directly into the cat’s eyes, I expressed my wish.
“I’d like for you to become my family.”
“Nya…?”
“Not that. At least until I die, I’d like for you to stay by my side-”
“No, no, I wasn’t questioning your meaning.”
“Then?”
“…Is it really okay to wish for something so simple? I could give you something much greater.”
I chuckled and pulled the cat close to me.
“That’s fine. You alone are enough.”
Even if this cat claims to have grand abilities,
like summoning an army of cats to wreak havoc at the Academy, or cat-chaos.
Hmm, that might not be so bad…
“…Understood.”
The cat looked at me curiously, then wriggled its body to face me closer.
“Then let’s begin the contract.”
A contract? This is more serious than I expected.
“I, the great one of Dreamland, and as a close servant of the foolish father who rules us, the daughter of chaos, declare that—”
…Wait? What? This is all becoming harder to follow. Something…something is really happening.
“I, the Outer God Lily, swear by this contract that from this moment on, I will become the human Arthur’s family.”
The cat’s eyes began to emit an alien glow.
Though black, they were radiating.
An impossibly surreal darkness flows from them.
“This oath will be engraved upon me and shall be honored by the name of the Great Demon Sultan.”
Suddenly, the cat reached out and grasped the back of my neck.
“…In return, I shall take a toll from Arthur, the contractor.”
“What? No one mentioned that!”
“The toll will be a portion of your energy and physical essence.”
“Hey!! Who decided this—”
Koooh
At that moment, an immense pressure felt like someone pressing heavily on the top of my head.
The cat, now so close its face was almost touching mine, declared:
“By the great Demon Sultan, our foolish father…■■■■, so let it be!”
Then the cat whispered softly:
“It’s time to see each other in the real world.”
“What—”
I couldn’t finish my sentence.
I opened my mouth to protest, but the cat’s mouth covered mine before I could.
“Guuh?!”
Attempting to push the cat away only resulted in my arms going limp, completely drained of strength.
The weakness spread from my arms to my legs, torso, and eventually, my eyelids.
The sensation left my thoughts foggy and my consciousness slipping away.
The last thing I remember seeing is the cat’s piercing black eyes.
“Ah… This is why adults always said not to trust strangers so easily…”
And then, my thoughts went completely dark.
—
“Ugh…”
Is this what a hangover feels like?
My head hurt as if it was splitting open, and my thoughts were sluggish.
I finally managed to open my heavy eyelids, only to realize something was wrong.
Instead of the familiar ceiling, it wasn’t the same.
“…Hmm?”
There, right in front of me, were sharp, black eyes—cat-like eyes.
Surrounding them were long lashes, and the curves of the face exuded a mysterious allure.
As I gazed into those eyes, it was as if my consciousness, which had fled earlier, was slowly returning to my body.
“Prrt…”
A soft, damp sensation pressed against my lips.
A hot breath slipped through my slightly parted lips…Wait?
“Ugh?!”
My eyes shot wide open, finally comprehending the situation. I immediately pulled away.
I frantically looked around. This was my dormitory.
I recalled falling asleep, exhausted after receiving a pre-notification of expulsion.
I distinctly remembered it being my private sanctuary.
But now, someone had entered the room.
Someone who had been kissing me as I slept.
“Mother, you’re awake?”
The mesmerizing eyes I saw upon waking curved softly like a crescent moon.
“Wha, who… who are you?!”
My trembling jaw stumbled over my words, to which the woman placed her hand on her chest and replied.
“Oh~ don’t you remember who I am?”
Only then could I shift my focus from her captivating eyes to the rest of her appearance.
Her impossibly pale, almost translucent skin seemed so flawless it could show veins beneath.
A body that defied modesty with its violent curves, asserting its dominance.
And then her hair, flowing like a waterfall, draping over her, covering some intimate areas and trailing down to her feet, as dark as the midnight sky.
I lifted my gaze again, this time focusing on her face.
Despite the stark contrast of her snow-white skin, her lips shone with a vibrant crimson glow.
Her eyes, with a feline-like upward tilt, exuded an exotic allure.
Every feature was perfectly measured and symmetrical.
Anyone, regardless of gender, seeing her would be unable to look away.
She was undeniably divine, a work created directly by the gods if not a goddess herself.
Her beauty was so otherworldly that it verged on eerie. Nevertheless…
“…Who are you?”
I couldn’t recognize her.
Surely, I wouldn’t forget someone with such a striking appearance.
Even a glance at her would leave one fantasizing for a lifetime.
At my words, her eyes lost their sparkle, expressing obvious disappointment.
“Not recognizing your family… How unfortunate.”
Family? Who? …Wait.
A sudden thought crossed my mind, prompting me to reexamine her feline-like eyes.
“…Cat-like eyes?”
Next was the mouth.
“Kiss…?”
Finally, what she had said earlier.
“Family?”
Putting the pieces together, my mouth grew wider and wider in shock.
The realization finally burst forth from my lips.
“Cat?!”
The woman, hearing my shocked cry, perked her head up excitedly.
“Correct~”
I looked her over again, incredulously.
Wait, really that cat? The tiny one?
Aware of my gaze, the woman smirked, accentuating her figure with a seductive pose.
“Does it satisfy you?”
As her hair shifted with the movement, revealing some crucial areas, I hurriedly turned away.
“You’ve got to…you need to put some clothes on…”
“Hmm? I don’t mind?”
“But I do! Me!”
“Hmm,” she pondered, then snapped her fingers, making her hair wriggle and rearrange itself.
The strands intertwined and formed fabric, which gathered together into a dress.
It was a pitch-black evening gown.
Contrasting with her pale skin, it gave her an air of a Night Goddess.
“Will this do?”
“…Yes.”
The beauty of this dress was a different kind altogether, making my response a tad late.
The woman’s gentle smile deepened upon noticing my reaction.
“I’m glad you approve.”
I noticed a wet sensation on the corner of my lips and quickly collected myself, swallowing back the almost-drooling saliva.
Looking directly at her now, I asked cautiously.
“Really…you’re that cat?”
“Yes. Exactly that cat.”
“Is this your original form?”
“We don’t have a fixed form. I adapt to my contractor’s age, though in a way, this is what I consider my true form.”
No fixed form? …Wait… Where have I heard that before?
“What do you mean by ‘us’?”
“Outer Gods. Simply put, gods existing outside this universe.”
“Gods?! You mean… you’re talking about…Gods?”
Especially that last word.
There’s a term used for gods who don’t originate from this world, gods from another universe.
I uttered it through trembling lips.
“Outsider?!”
“Hmm…from your perspective, I suppose.”
The next horrifying thought struck me.
“Did…did I really ask an Outsider to become my family?!”
All the stories about Outsiders are rife with terror.
They all share one common trait:
their overwhelmingly cruel nature.
Recalling tales of their horrors, I immediately knelt down and bowed my head.
“I’m sorry!!”
“Eh? Why are you apologizing?”
“Well….”
Every human who angered an Outsider met a terrible fate.
Losing one’s head instantly being the lucky ones; others lived out their lives in endless fiery agony.
Still trembling, I was brought back to my senses when I felt a warm hand lift my chin.
What I saw in those black eyes was something entirely unexpected.
“It’s fine. No need to apologize.”
Growing up in an orphanage, I had a particular skill I took pride in:
reading people’s emotions accurately.
Human relationships had always been like walking on thin ice for me, someone with no particular strengths.
I had needed good instincts to survive.
Through my finely tuned intuition, I saw something profound in the eyes of this beautiful Outsider: boundless compassion.
It was the same warmth I’d seen in the pictures of happy families through the orphanage fence.
It was the same gentle gaze parents have for their children.
Perhaps, deep down, my wish wasn’t for wealth or power, but to experience this warmth firsthand.
The Outsider embraced me with arms outstretched.
Her pale skin, which seemed cold like ice from afar, felt incredibly warm and comforting, like the embrace of a mother I barely remembered.
My shaking subsided, and the tension in my body melted away.
Leaning further into her, I let myself be enveloped.
She softly cradled me, gently stroking the back of my head with one hand.
“Do you feel better now?”
Inhaling the familiar warmth reminiscent of childhood, I answered in a slightly choked voice.
“Yes…”
“There’s no need to be afraid.”
My Outsider leaned close, whispering softly in my ear.
“From now on, I am your family.”
